Volume 43   Number 11                                                                                     July 2001

In the parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:16-24), our Lord presents a picture of the blessings of Christianity in the portrait of a wonderful banquet in which everything has been provided by God, who is the generous Host. The world promises much to those who would dive into its pleasures, but those who do so always find more pebbles than pearls. Only God can provide a feast that can satisfy the hunger and thirst of people’s souls. The banquet prepared by the God of grace and mercy is for all who will come.

Throughout the Old Testament the blessings of God’s grace are often spoken of as a feast (Jeremiah 3:15). In the parable in Luke, Christ speaks of a great feast, of the foolish excuses offered by some, and of the fearful fate of those who reject God’s gracious hospitality. We are invited to a feast prepared by the God of grace. The feast to which God invites us is a banquet that provides adequately for the deepest hungers of the human heart. The blessings freely offered are a richer feast to the soul than the richest pastries are to the body. All the spiritual wants of people are supplied at this great supper. All the blessings of the gospel are on display to be enjoyed in a large measure here and completely hereafter. Concerning the feast, the psalmist declared, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” (Psalm 23:5) John, while on the island, looked into heaven and saw the continuation of this feast. “... for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.” (Revelation 7:17)

If your soul is burdened and crushed by a depressing load of grief, be assured that forgiveness is on the menu. God is eager to pardon every sin and forgive every transgression. He can cleanse you from all the defilement of sin and deliver you from the power of sin.

The Host at this great feast to which you are invited offers the gift of divine sonship, which carries with it His Fatherhood. Until the individual comes to Christ, he is a creature with the capacity for fellowship with God, but becomes a son of God only through the new birth from above, which is baptism. After this experience, he can then truly pray to his Father in heaven.

The fellowship at this feast is indescribably wonderful. God is the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, but He also grants to each believer access into His divine presence continuously. One of the most beautiful pictures of this truth is contained in Revelation 3:20, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Note the feast and the fellowship with the living Christ serving as the divine Host. No other fellowship is comparable to this.

To sit at the banquet table and enjoy the hospitality of a gracious host implies friendship. Abraham was called the friend of God. He responded to God’s invitation. He trusted God. He obeyed God. He sought to do the things that were pleasing to God. This friendship with Him was both enriching and transforming. God is gracious in that He will permit us to be His friends. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15) Jesus is the friend every man needs. He is the Friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Among the blessed benefits of this feast is the promise of fruitfulness. In the same instance in which the Savior spoke of friendship, He also spoke of our bearing much fruit to the glory of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16) One of our deepest needs is to have the assurance that we are doing something worthwhile. It is encouraging to know that this is part of the divine provision for us. In fact, this is the primary point of the entire parable. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were not bearing the fruits of faith or the fruit of the Spirit of God. They were so determined that the messiah was to fit into their nationalistic and materialistic plans that they were incapable of perceiving the truth of Jesus’ claims. Consequently, they were eliminating themselves from the great redemptive feast prepared by God, who wanted to redeem all people from the tyranny of sin and death.

Next month we will continue this discussion of the parable of the Great Feast. Until then, let us make sure that we do not try to fit Jesus into a mold that we have shaped and in doing so, make our invitation to the feast invalid. Instead, may we allow Jesus to shape us to fit into the mold he has fashioned and thereby allow our invitations to be accepted.